May the olive tree has the reputation of the most famous and rich Mediterranean fruitful tree, but the wealth in plants of Mediterannean is possessing a large amount of plants and trees that grow only round it, and the carob tree is one of them.
The carob tree is an evergreen tree belongs to the family Fabaceae with Latin name Ceratonia siliqua, known since antiquity as keronia and it’s pod as the Egyptian fig, the known carob. Carob when is unripped is like green bean, and then turns brown, is hard and contains 5-15 hard beans and a sweet substance. Its harvest take place at the end of august.
Once carob fed generations, nourished people in difficulties when other foods were scarce and insufficient. There are eferences from biblical times to John the Baptist who have it as the only food in the desert, and saves the troops of Mohammed from certain starvation. More recently in the Second World War, an entire ship was carrying the precious pod of the carob tree from the coast of Turkey and Crete saving Greek childrens from malnutrition, as well as in the years of the Spanish Civil War.
Today by processing the carob produced carob spread and carob powder but serves also as animal feed. It has many advantages! It contains high levels of soluble sugars, low fat levels, vitamins of group B, carotene and is a source of antioxidants. The products from carob however are free from gluten. Finally it used in the preparation of anti-diarrheal and antiemetic products.